1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a settlement terminal device which is used in order to perform settlement or a commercial transaction and a settlement processing method using the settlement terminal device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a credit transaction using a credit card or the like, the security of the transaction is secured by verifying whether or not a person performing the transaction is the same person as the owner of the credit card used for the transaction (identity verification). For example, the identity verification is performed by a customer signing a transaction slip, having transaction details printed thereon, which is output during a transaction process and by a store clerk visually comparing the signature and a signature written on the credit card.
When a transaction process is performed using a settlement terminal, the time for which a store clerk keeps a customer's card may be longer when the settlement terminal is located at a place distant from the store clerk and the customer. In this case, customer service may deteriorate, or an uneasy feeling may be caused for a customer. In addition, the time required for a store clerk to complete settlement in a transaction process increases, and thus the time allocated to the store clerk for performing selling activities may be limited.
Hitherto, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2003-16536 has proposed a portable device, which is a transaction terminal device performing a settlement process requiring a customer's signature, which includes an input unit for inputting a signature and a display unit for displaying the signature which is input from the input unit.
In the transaction terminal device which is an example of the related art, an orientation of the transaction terminal device, for example, in a case where a store clerk or a customer holds the transaction terminal device is not considered. For this reason, it may be difficult to perform an input operation or a display confirming operation by the store clerk or the customer in the settlement process, depending on the orientation of the transaction terminal device.